


Clock

by notcrindy



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, a lot of things happened differently in Wonderland, buckle up kids it's gonna be an existential and angsty ride, i've been sitting on this idea since September and i really hope i can pull it off, it doesn't mean what you think it means, the Wheel spins and lands on Clock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 13:04:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notcrindy/pseuds/notcrindy
Summary: The Wheel spins and lands on Clock.It doesn't mean what Taako thinks it means.(Post-Wonderland AU where a lot of things don't happen,and this one does.)





	Clock

_ The Wheel spins and lands on Clock. _

_ By this point, Taako is so fed up with this rainbow-riddled rave-wretched rot of a place that he’s almost numb to watching it, that spinning. When It lands on clock he’s relieved, even, ‘cuz he’s an elf and that beats their perverse little system into nothing. Careful not to verbalize any smugness he might feel, he asks. _

_ “What’s up?” _

_ Edward gives it some thought with his horrible lich bitch sister, then smiles. “Taako, you are one of the uh, one of the elven people--and a good lookin’ one at that. And so, taking time from you is a tricky prospect because elves can live a long, long time, and we don’t want to establish a discrepancy in the demand of our participants so… …really, we’ve thought about it, and there’s only one way we can go about this.” _

_ He’s being careful, cautious. Some of the relief he felt is turning pretty fast into anxiety, but he doesn’t let that show through either, rocking back and forth and holding onto his umbrella. “Mm?” _

_ “As an elf, this punishment won’t work for you. As something else, though? Hmm.” _

_ “Is that, uhh, relevant though?” _

_ “It’s something we can do, can’t we, Lydia?” _

_ “Mhm,” she trills beside him. _

 

And Taako jolts awake with a start.

Embarrassingly, he  _ gasps.  _ Even  _ more _ embarrassingly, he’s clutching his ears, trying to find the tip where it just… ...isn’t. The more he feels at them, the more he begins to  _ claw _ at them, cupping his hands over them and feeling nauseous. He doesn’t know why it mortifies him when there’s no one around to notice, but he’s been getting a hefty dose of shame ever since he somehow stumbled back from that hellscape.

There are worse things, he knows.

Merle’s lost an eye; Magnus lost important memories. They’ve all had their fair share of losses and maybe it was that, in the end, that made Taako go so soft. Maybe in some way, he needed to be  _ even _ with them, to have suffered just as much as them, to suffer  _ more _ than them so they didn’t have to take the brunt. Not a good look on him, self-sacrifice. Something he should’ve discarded long ago, as an urchin alone and fending for himself, looking out for number one every chance he got. Wasn’t a great time to pick it back up suddenly, but he…

...just couldn’t let…

...them take anything else. The worst thing in this moment is the frantic pounding of his own heart, thudding noisily against his ribcage. He has to remind himself that he’s  _ not _ dying, ‘cuz otherwise, he’d be expecting a certain handsome visitor; he’s just being ridiculous and hysterical, and he figures he has certain ways of calming himself down that can work.

“Stupid fucking  _ Sleep spell, _ ” he croaks out at the darkness. “Finally get to  _ use _ it, and it doesn’t even  _ work… _ ”

It’s better for Taako, generally, if he can pretend this is just a minor inconvenience. He’s in pain now, but he shrugs the covers off, huffing and  _ harumph _ ing and not at  _ all _ using the umbrella for stability as he goes to rummage around in the mini-fridge afforded to him. Bottles clank around and make more noise than he’d like them to at this hour, as he shoves various refrigerated products aside. He finally locates a pink bottle, wrenching it out quick as possible and slamming the door to the fridge shut in one fluid motion, before cracking the bottle itself open.

It’s booze and it’s sickly sweet, smelling of pure sugar mingling with some artificial fruit flavoring to produce nausea. Were he not used to everything tasting of key lime by now, he’d be thrown and even disoriented by the raspberry scent of the liquor and the citrus taste of the drink, but as it stands he slugs it back, largely unflinching. It takes more of it to get him buzzed, and then tipsy, and then drunk, but he still manages to get there in record time.

“Taako?”

By this point, he witnesses the world only through bleary human eyes that--that can’t even see in the dark, goddamn  _ useless _ pieces of shit. He doesn’t want anyone to bother him, not tonight, not now that he’s been good enough not to seek Merle fuckin’ Highchurch out for some unnaturally Calm Emotions or what have you. He protests lazily, but largely ineffectively, and he swings an arm limply outwards.

“ _ Fuck _ off,” he mumbles. “We at Taako productions… …’re  _ not _ acceptin’ company… ...at this time. Can’t even see you anyways. Useless goddamn human  _ eyeballs. _ ”

“Good grief,” the voice gasps, and to the owner’s credit, it’s genuine. “You’re  _ wasted, _ aren’t you?”

“Couldn’ sleep.”

“I can  _ see _ that,” the voice notes. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“I’m  _ meditating, _ ” he argues. He doesn’t even know why he tries this.

“Nope, doesn’t count,” the shape in the dark argues back, and Taako has decided it’s not really his favorite shape in the entire world already. Nevertheless, when it makes an attempt to sling an arm around him and help him up, it’s a thoughtful enough gesture that he can appreciate it a  _ little _ through the haze. “I know this must be--be  _ difficult _ for you, Taako, but--”

“ _ Pshaw, _ ” he waves her off, and this is when it clicks in his head that it’s Madame Director come to bother him and play Mommy as usual. “Difficult, uh,  _ schmifficult, _ okay, Madame Director?”

“You don’t have to pretend it’s easy, Taako,” she tries to reassure him.

“Well no,” he admits as she manages to help him to the bed, which feels more welcoming than Taako can remember it being, and he sinks into it and drools on the pillow immediately. “But if i’ were  _ that _ difficult, you wouldn’a sent me, yeah?”

There’s silence for a moment. Maybe she’s hoping he’s fallen asleep, and some part of him wants her to think that just so she’ll leave him to whatever rest he can manage to get now. But instead she looks down at him, and it’s probably his imagination and the booze, but she looks so  _ sad. _ So  _ guilty. _ “I never should have sent you there.”

“We got the  _ Bell,  _ though,” he informs his pillow more than her. “Whoop-di- _ doo!! _ Cha’boy did a  _ good job… _ ”

“You did  _ very well, _ yes,” she says softly. “But what a price to pay.”

Maybe she thinks he can’t hear that with his shitty round ears, but whatever the case, it makes a  _ very _ weak attempt at anger flare up inside of him for a moment. “Hey, I didn’ come back here for your  _ pity, _ okay?”

“Taako, I didn’t mean to--”

“I didn’--I didn’ consent to you making me feel like  _ shit _ about a  _ shitty situation, _ so you… ...so you go now. Go. Go  _ on. _ Go  _ now. _ ”

Her voice is fragile now, cracking just a little. “You’re… ...you’re absolutely right. As… ...as your employer, I’ve surely overstepped my bounds. I’m… I’m terribly sorry. Have a good night, Taako. Remember to ask for help if you need it.”

With that, the figure’s gone, and Taako’s left to feel how soft and forgiving the bed feels. Ever since Wonderland, something about his body’s been mega fucked up and painful, and it’s been difficult to get around but he can play it off nonchalantly with the umbrella when the situation calls for it. Maybe he’s a little grumpy, coming into pain every time he opens his eyes, body remembering things it should in ways it shouldn’t, not like this.

But she sounded like she was about to  _ cry. _ And Taako doesn’t cotton to that shit.

“I  _ don’t _ need it,” he decides to verbalize out into the darkness, voice a quiet sigh, “but thanks.”

When Taako sleeps next, it’s dreamless.

He forgets about it  _ all, _ just for a little while.

**Author's Note:**

> man, i can't believe this is finally a prologue even. LMFAO. i've had this idea since September of last year and have always been wary about being able to sufficiently pull it off, and i finally just decided to DO it. soooo... buckle up, kids. this one's gonna be a ride, i think, if i can follow through. thank you for reading. <3


End file.
